What Asia Pivot?

Defense Budget Cuts Undermine U.S. Interests in the Pacific

From Heritage Foundation September 25, 2013

The Obama Administration’s defense strategy and its “Asia Pivot” are undercut by the fact that the U.S. military lacks the resources necessary to implement such strategies. Even as the number of threats to global peace and stability continues to multiply, there has not been a commensurate increase of U.S. capabilities. To what degree will massive defense cuts and reductions in the overall U.S. military structure constrain America’s global power projection and force sustainability capabilities in the Pacific?

Donald Winter served as the 74th Secretary of the Navy during 2006-2009. He led America's Navy and Marine Corps Team and was responsible for an annual budget in excess of $125 billion and almost 900,000 people. Bernard Cole served as a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer for 30 years, all of them in the Pacific. James Auer served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, including as commanding officer of a guided missile frigate homeported in Yokosuka and Special Assistant for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Bruce Klingner served 20 years with the Central Intelligence Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, including as deputy division chief for CIA’s Korea analysis.